Month: March 2021

Steve Bannon sure keeps himself busy these days. Between calling for Dr. Fauci’s head on a pike and celebrating his white-collar crime pardon from former President Trump (which isn’t working out totally well for him, by the way, because prosecutors aren’t dismissing the case), he’s always stirring up far-right fury in podcasting land. The Associated Press, however, is reporting that one of Bannon’s dreams has gone up in smoke, given that Italy is not at all happy that the ex-White House advisor and white supremacist wanted to set up tentacles in their country by launching a “gladiator” school on the hilltop grounds of a 13th century monastery.

The Culture Ministry in Italy moved to shut down those plans, and the country’s top administrative court upheld the sentiment while ruling that a Bannon-affiliated (and Human Dignity Institute-backed), far-right think tank could not spread its rhetoric in this school. A forty-page ruling laid down the law, so to speak, and the AP reveals how Bannon planned to raise money to run the school to train some sort of far-right hive mind. Australia news adds that the battle to shut down the school’s plans has been an ongoing fight for years, and here’s Bannon’s original vision for this thing:

Former Breitbart chief Bannon, a Catholic, is a trustee of the institute, and planned to turn the space into a hub where students would learn philosophy, theology, history, and economics, and receive political training. He was aiming the courses at right-wing Catholic activists and had been paying €100,000-a-year rent ($A153,000) on the former Carthusian monastery for the DHI to use the building from early 2018.

Bannon told CBS News in February 2019 that the school, called the Academy of the Judeo-Christian West, will be a “modern gladiator school” that teaches the foundational tenants of Western people. “It’s to give people kind of in mid-career that are looking to do something different, maybe get involved in media, maybe get involved in politics, maybe get involved in NGOs, to give them kind of the underpinnings of the Judeo-Christian West,” he said.

Naturally, Bannon is quoted by the AP as calling the court ruling a “joke” that “brings further shame on Italy’s already stained judiciary in eyes of the whole world.” He further slammed the Italian government as “corrupt” and “incompetent,” and he firmly believes that the shut-down of his school is a political move, which is, you know, not quite the insult that Bannon probably intends it to be. Certainly, Italy already has enough sinister organizations like the Mafia angling for greater power within its borders amid this pandemic. Dealing with cleaning up Bannon’s white-supremacist ideology is clearly an issue they hoped to ban ahead of time, rather than deal with after the fact.

(Via Associated Press & News.com.au)

After going quiet for a few months, IDK is back in action and he hasn’t missed a step at all. The DMV native returns with “Just Like Martin” and it’s a hard-hitting track that is sure to turning up as the weekend nears an arrival. The track is named after famed actor Martin Lawerence, which the rapper revealed in an Instagram post at the end of February. He references a famous line from the actor’s beloved self-titled TV show by rapping, “If we ain’t sexin’ (Yeah), you might have to get to steppin’.”

The single will hopefully kick off the campaign for the rapper’s upcoming album, U See 4 Yourself. The new effort will most likely arrive almost two years after his major-label debut, Is He Real?. Fans of the DMV rapper haven’t been deprived of music since his debut. IDK reconvened with his close collaborators for his IDK & Friends 2 project last year and blessed fans with a number of quality singles that include “2 Cents,” “King Alfred,” “Cereal” with DJ Scheme, JID, and Kenny Mason.

Watch the “Just Like Martin” video above.

IDK is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

One of the things about the pandemic we’ll always remember are the people who got caught on camera completely losing it because they had to wear a mask inside of a supermarket or restaurant.

These are the people who were given the opportunity to be either part of the problem or the solution to the global pandemic and they often unapologetically chose the former.

While some of these incidents result in ugly confrontations, a business owner in North Texas is having a little fun with the anti-maskers that frequent his restaurant. He’s posted a sign notifying them, upfront, that they will be charged if they don’t comply with his mark rule.

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via WFAA / YouTube

Legends diner owner Wayne LaCombe says that he charges “$50 if I have to explain why masks are mandatory” and “$75 if I have to hear why you disagree.”

The tongue-in-cheek sign has been getting a lot of attention at his restaurant and online. “People laughing taking pictures of it,” LaCombe said. “Mostly great reactions.”

The fact that the sign has been generating mostly positive responses is comforting because earlier this month Texas governor Greg Abbott lifted the state’s mask mandate, leaving many to fear a massive COVID-19 outbreak.

‘Mask surcharge’: Business owners’ sign gains attention

www.youtube.com

But, as a private business owner, LaCombe is allowed to create his own rules for his restaurant, so he hasn’t changed his mask policy. One of the main reasons why is that his clientele is older and more likely to be seriously affected by the virus.

“Our business is 50, 60, 70, 80-year-olds,” Wayne LaCombe said. “Unless we all work as a team, we’re not going to finish the race.” He asks his customers to wear a mask for his safety, too.

“I just can’t afford to get the virus. We’d have to shut our business down,” LaCombe said.

One customer had an issue with a restaurant owner telling him what to do about his health. So LaCombe’s wife, Kat, the co-owner and chef at the restaurant, had to take him to school on Facebook.

Kat is a retired RN with 28 years in oncology.

“I do have a Medical degree. 28 years as a Registered Nurse, specializing in Oncology. Also 5 years teaching nursing,” she wrote. “With my background in healthcare I feel that we are doing the right thing. At the restaurant we comply with city and state mandates. But some things must be done without someone telling you to.”

“I with my husband try to protect and respect the people who come to our restaurant,” she added. “The sign was a sort of joke….it was aimed at the people who feel the need to try to argue (and of course they’re not wearing masks at the time). No one wants this world to get back to normal more than small business owners.”

In the end, we’re all just trying to get back to normal, and hopefully, found some crumbs of joy along the way. Good for the LaCombes for sticking up for what’s right and protecting the health of themselves and others at a time when many around them are not. Also, that sign is one of the funniest things to come out of this dark time.

Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm and blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B jams that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.

This week Joyce Wrice drops off her Overgrown project, Ant Clemons offers his new release “Story Of My Life,” and Ty Dolla Sign grabs Bryson Tiller for the remix to “Be Yourself.”

Joyce Wrice — Overgrown

Joyce Wrice arrives this week with her full-length project Overgrown. Many have been waiting for this as Joyce shows great promise. Overgrown contains features from Freddie Gibbs, Masego, and Westside Gunn, among others.

Ant Clemons — “Story Of My Life”

Ant Clemons is such a treasure and the award-winning singer’s latest single “Story Of My Life” shows why. With a voice that’s as smooth as it is relaxing, it’s time to get into the talented singer-songwriter if you haven’t already.

Ty Dolla Sign — “Be Yourself (Remix)” Feat. Bryson Tiller, Jhene Aiko & DJ Mustard

Ty Dolla Sign taps Bryson Tiller for the remix of his song “Be Yourself” with Jhene Aiko and DJ Mustard. Needless to say, it’s a perfect match.

Dee Gatti — “Clear My Mind”

Fort Worth singer Dee Gatti is here with another gracious slow jam in the form of “Clear My Mind.” The song is set to live on her debut EP Just Called To Say, set to be released later this year

Autumn Corin — “Myself”

Up-and-coming R&B singer Autumn Corin shares the music video for her upbeat cut “Myself” and she’s all about putting herself first. The song is the follow-up to her DDG assisted song “On Your Mind” and is just a taste of what’s to come.

Asiahn — The Interlude EP Orchestral Performance

As if Asiahn’s EP The Interlude could get any better, the singer offers a live orchestral version of the project. There’s something about hearing Asiahn sing live that does it.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

In the cutthroat world of fast-food, there can only be one top dog for any given dish. Whether we’re talking chicken sandwiches, nuggets, bacon cheeseburgers, or french fries — every brand out there wants to be the best in the hearts and minds of diners. For 26 years, Pizza Hut has owned the stuffed crust pizza lane (not for lack of competition, shout out to Little Caesars for a valiant attempt) but now the Big Papa is stepping into the scene with their own mozzarella stuffed pie.

Yep, we’ve got a stuffed crust duel on our hands. Papa vs the Hut.

Today we’ll be pitting Papa John’s new “Epic Stuffed Crust” pizza against the OG — Pizza Hut’s original Stuffed Crust. The former is new, the latter has gone through some updates since first dropping on March 25th, 1995, and is the only permanent stuffed crust pizza on a national pizza chain menu. Right off the bat, we’re taking a point from Papa John’s for calling their own dish “epic,” but besides that, it’s going to be all about the taste.

Presentation

I attempted to order both pizzas the same way — pepperoni and spinach — but I ate these pizzas on separate days and ordered from Papa John’s before realizing that Pizza Hut dropped spinach as a topping. As a result, we’re giving Papa John’s back the point we took away for calling their dumb name. Both pies are back at zero now, let’s get into the way they look.

The Papa John’s pie had a noticeably drier appearance to it, the crust appeared much flatter when compared to Pizza Hut’s and while we appreciate the extra layer of cheese above the toppings, it just doesn’t look quite as appetizing as Pizza Hut’s pepperoni-loaded pie. Pizza Hut’s pie featured a bubblier crust that appeared to be bursting with cheese. It also looks like it was brushed with butter, giving it an appetizing glossy sheen.

Point Goes To: The Hut

Flavor

Presentation is important, but in any food review flavor is what we’re after. That’s where things take a big turn. Despite both being essentially the same pizza (damn you Pizza Hut, put spinach back on the menu!) these pies couldn’t taste more different. Once I bit into Papa John’s stuffed crust I instantly understood why it had a drier appearance than Pizza Hut’s — it’s because the dough had a fresh dusting of flour, proof that it was recently slapped into pizza form.

I’m a bit of a dough snob — I prefer to make my own — so it’s easy for me to pick up on whether or not I’m having fresh dough. Pizza Hut had the telltale signs of a frozen dough base with fresh toppings. That buttery gloss that I spotted? It was grease and it was a little overboard. The Pizza Hut pie came out floppy, a little wet, and the sauce was overly bright — to the point of being offensively acidic.

From a pure flavor perspective, just about everything — from the dough to the sauce to the pepperoni to the mozzarella cheese — tasted better on the Papa John’s pizza.

Point Goes To: Papa John’s

Crust

The two pizzas couldn’t be more different here either.

Pizza Hut’s crust wasn’t as packed with cheese as the little air bubbles on the crust led me to believe.

What you have is a very thin layer of what tastes like skim mozzarella, which is to say a little flavorless. It felt more like cheese in my mouth than it tasted like cheese.

Papa John’s crust tasted like it was full of significantly better quality mozzarella cheese. And because Papa John’s dough was significantly less greasy, the bites were filling without slipping into fatty-oily excess. I could actually taste the mozzarella, rather than just sense it.

Overall, Papa John’s didn’t leave me feeling like I was eating something I shouldn’t. Whereas Pizza Hut’s pie made me feel like I was engaging in a dare.

Point Goes To: Papa John’s

The Bottom Line

It might not look like a blowout, but Papa John’s probably deserves more than a single point win for how much better an overall experience the Epic Stuffed Crust pizza provides. Hands down, it’s the better pie.

Faith Hill’s “This Kiss” was one of the biggest country crossover hits of 1998, as it managed top-ten peaks on Billboard‘s Hot 100 and adult contemporary charts. Now, the song has gotten a 2021-ready reinterpretation via Alex Lahey, who covered the track as an Amazon Music exclusive. For her cover, Lahey cranked up the tempo and added electric guitars, turning the country-pop song into a modern indie rocker.

Lahey said of the cover in a statement, “For years, I’ve had this big idea of doing an indie rock cover of Faith Hill’s ‘This Kiss.’ Two key changes, that iconic chorus, a million vocal harmonies — what more could you want? It was such a treat pulling this together with my mates Oscar and Jess as we navigated the depths of Melbourne’s lockdown last year and I’m so stoked that Amazon Music are putting it out perfectly timed with International Women’s Month. Go off.”

Lahey last popped up with her 2009 album The Best Of Luck Club. As for Hill, she has kept mostly quiet in terms of music in recent years. Her latest album was The Rest Of Our Life, a collaborative effort with husband Tim McGraw from 2017. Her most recent solo album was 2008’s Joy To The World.

Listen to Lahey’s rendition of Hill’s “This Kiss” below.

We’ve all been finding different ways to pass the time during the pandemic. Some people caught up with old friends over Zoom or finished the books that they’ve been meaning to read for years (Paul Reiser’s complete works isn’t going to read itself), while others watched Friends. So much Friends. Billions of minutes of Friends.

USA Today reports that the NBC sitcom, which ended 17 (!) years, “was the most-watched comedy on broadcast or cable TV, with 96.7 billion minutes viewed, a 30 percent jump from 2019.” For comparison’s sake: Netflix subscribers watched 57 billion minutes of The Office last year (USA Today‘s data, compiled by Nielsen, does not include streaming). In second and third place were The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men, although older comedies saw a viewership increase in 2020, too, like The Andy Griffith Show (58.3 billion minutes, up 29 percent), I Love Lucy (9.3 billion minutes, up nine percent), and Good Times (6.9 billion minutes, up 24 percent).

Cable viewers also watched a ton of Urkel:

The growth rate was even larger for some shows with casts that are more representative of the nation’s diversity. Year-to-year viewing of ABC’s Family Matters (1989-1998), which focuses on a Black family, skyrocketed, recording 11.4 billion viewing minutes for a 392% increase from 2019… George Lopez (2002-07), built around a popular comedian of Mexican-American heritage, recorded nearly 11 billion viewing minutes, a 113% jump, while The Bernie Mac Show (2001-06) was up 71% to 3.3 billion minutes.

No wonder every old show is coming back, including, in a sense, Friends.

(Via USA Today)

Do not cross Pooh Shiesty and Gucci Mane. That’s the main message behind their song “Ugly,” which they dropped the video for today. The persistent minor keys and muted percussion highlight a menacing beat from Nile Waves and Doc Playboi, while the duo’s cold-eyed verses stack blocks of rhymes dedicated to conveying one intimidating theme: If you challenge these two Southern trap veterans, “Sh*t get ugly.”

The video is a straightforward affair, with the two rappers aiming guns and lasers at the camera alongside a bevvy of ski-masked models who are just as heavily armed despite being more scantily clad.

The song comes from Pooh’s recently released Shiesty Season mixtape, which introduced the Memphis MC to a wider audience after he signed to Gucci’s new 1017 label in 2020 and featured prominently on the label’s first compilation album Gucci Mane Presents: So Icy Summer. Thanks to those big moves, and singles like “Guard Up” and “Back In Blood,” he’s become a breakout star to watch — and earned enough to be able to buy his mom a new house.

Watch Pooh Shiesty’s “Ugly” video with Gucci Mane above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

It’s 2021, and even the White House doesn’t have a clear-cut drug policy when it comes to marijuana use.

Biden White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki found herself sending out a series of tweets to clarify the administration’s stance on marijuana use after a handful of staffers were reportedly fired for their past drug use. According to a report by The Daily Beast, dozens of staffers had been “suspended, asked to resign, or placed in a remote work program” after disclosing past marijuana use during routine background checks. The move to punish staffers, many of whom lived and worked in states (including the District of Columbia) where marijuana use is legalized came as a surprise for younger White House employees, who were under the impression the current administration would be more lenient when it came to past drug use.

“The policies were never explained, the threshold for what was excusable and what was inexcusable was never explained,” a former staffer explained to The Daily Beast.

In fact, the Biden administration had taken a stance in its early days on marijuana, initially telling staffers that past recreational use of the drug would not immediately disqualify someone for a position at the White House. Psaki addressed the controversy on social media after The Daily Beast broke the story maintaining the administration’s commitment to creating hiring policies that more accurately reflect our changing times and downplaying the number of staffers affected by this policy change.

It’s not just the White House that’s struggling to update its drug policies thanks to the growing number of states legalizing marijuana across the U.S. — the FBI and the NSA have their own disparate thresholds for potential candidates and policies of past administrations have also wildly varied. Still, it seems a bit perplexing that cracking down on the security clearance of a few staffers who might have lit up years ago is the most pressing item on Biden’s agenda right now.

In a fiery segment on Thursday night, Stephen Colbert put former president Donald Trump on blast for his role in “amplifying” the anti-Asian hate that led to the recent shooting in Atlanta. While highlighting Trump’s continued rhetoric that blames China for the coronavirus pandemic, which Trump has frequently called the “Chinese virus” or “kung flu,” Colbert efficiently argued that the former president uses hate as a tool to “blame his own failings on a foreign country,” which will continue to cause racial violence like we saw in Atlanta.

“Our former president bears a particular responsibility for amplifying this form of hatred, just as surely as he bears responsibility for the series of events he incited on January 6th,” Colbert argued before tearing into fallout of Trump’s presidency. Via The Guardian:

“This will always be part of his legacy,” Colbert concluded. “He will be remembered as a hateful man who left a stain not just on the White House pillows but on our whole society by inviting his Maga minions to an all-you-can-hate racist buffet.”

The Late Show‘s host argument echoes a similar warning from actress Olivia Munn, who has been speaking out since the Atlanta shooting in an effort to raise awareness that Asian-Americans have had a “target on our backs” since the start of the pandemic. “It feels like it’s open season on us. And we need help and we need people to care about what is happening to us,” Munn told TODAY. “You look at what happened in Atlanta. This doesn’t happen in a vacuum.”